-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Egypt on Tuesday deported an American anti-war activist who was trying to travel to the Gaza Strip .

Medea Benjamin , who co-founded the Code Pink anti-war group , said she was detained on arrival at Cairo airport Monday evening . She had planned to join a delegation of activists on a visit to the Palestinian coastal enclave this week .

She told CNN she was assaulted by airport police , resulting in her arm being broken and shoulder dislocated , before being put on a flight to Istanbul on Tuesday .

`` I was never told why I was arrested . I was detained as soon as I arrived and I was violently assaulted in prison , '' she said by phone on arrival in Turkey . `` My arm is broken . I did not do anything wrong . No reason was given for my arrest . ''

She spoke briefly as she said she was on her way to a hospital . She said she was deported despite Egyptian doctors saying she was not fit to fly .

An official from Egypt 's Interior Ministry communications department said Benjamin had not been detained .

`` She was denied entry , not detained . There 's a big difference , '' Brigadier Alaa Mahmoud told CNN . `` There is no legal basis to detain her . ''

He said she had stated her reason for visiting as a trip to Gaza , but authorities explained to her that the crossing was closed and consequently refused to allow her to enter the country .

He denied any use of force or assault . He also said that he had no information on whether Benjamin had been banned from Egypt .

Benjamin chronicled the events on Twitter .

Heckling Obama

Last May , she famously interrupted President Barack Obama as he gave a speech on counterterrorism policy , repeatedly urging him to take faster action in releasing detainees from the U.S. prison in Guantanamo Bay , Cuba . Members of the group have previously interrupted congressional hearings and official speeches .

On its website , Code Pink said it was sending a U.S. delegation of 15 women to join a larger coalition that would travel to Gaza . It said they would meet in Cairo on March 5 and attempt to travel to Gaza from there .

`` Due to the political and security issues in Egypt , there are no guarantees that we will be able to get into Gaza , '' the group said .

Israel and Egypt restrict the flow of goods into the coastal territory , which is ruled by the Islamist movement Hamas , designated as a terrorist group by Israel and Western countries .

On Tuesday , a Cairo court banned all activities by Hamas in Egypt , calling it a terrorist organization .

The nation 's military government has been cracking down on Islamist groups , including the Muslim Brotherhood , since the ouster of President Mohamed Morsy last July .

CNN 's Sarah Sirgany and Saad Abedine contributed to this report .

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Activist Medea Benjamin says she was detained , assaulted in Cairo

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An Egyptian official says she was `` denied entry , not detained ''

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Benjamin was trying to travel to Gaza , the official said

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Authorities told her the crossing was closed and refused to allow her entry , he said